#lubricant additives industry

[coldpenguintaco]

Increasing Automation and Demand for Eco-friendly Lubricants support the Industrial Lubricants Market Growth| MarketsandMarkets™

Industrial lubricants are special fluids used to reduce friction and wear between two surfaces in contact with each other, such as the mating moving parts of an engine or a machine. They help reduce energy losses, improve machine efficiency, and extend equipment life. Commonly used industrial lubricants include mineral oils and synthetic fluids, greases, and waxes. Industrial lubricants are…

[pravalika]

Engine Oil Additives Market - Forecast (2023 - 2028)

Global engine oil additives market is valued 10,853$ million in the year 2017 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 3.2% during the forecast period 2018-2023.

[booleanean]

Day 9 - Aphrodisiacs - Robots with Dicks

"Oh fuck, yes, yes," Carla panted.

She heard Felix scribble something on his clipboard. For an AI postdoc, he was oddly attached to pen and paper.

The Mk1's chassis had been completed weeks ago. Carla had stared at it, stood in the corner of their basement workshop, waiting for Felix to finish training the AI, until finally she couldn't take it anymore.

"Yes, harder, faster." Carla moaned as the robot's control loop interpreted the commands and thrust into her with greater intensity.

Every inch of it was as good as she could make it, artificial filament muscles covered in variably translucent silicone to visually measure performance, hydraulic actuators in the torso visible behind 3D printed transparent aluminium. Strength was about twice what the strongest human could achieve without modification or drugs, dexterity on par with the best industrial robots from ten years ago, but on a fully mobile base. It was the peak of humanoid robotics, right at the very bleeding edge of technology. Their research paper was going to omit certain additions she'd made to it, though she had been half tempted to see if they could win a Nobel and Ig Nobel for the same project.

Felix looked up long enough from his clipboard to stroke her hair.

"Feel good?"

"Oh fuck yes, I'm close."

Even the penis attachments were works of art. Integrated in a special modular pelvis, she'd created two prototypes. The one that was rocking her world right now was a basic steel shaft with an internal set of ducting keeping it at body temperature, and a separate network of microtubules dispensing lubrication along the entire length. Pressure transducers and temperature sensors fed back into the control loop, letting the robot respond to her physiological responses as well as her voice commands.

She was saving the other prototype for the full AI integration test. The basic functionality worked the same as a mammalian penis. Silicone stood in for flesh, with a body safe hydraulic fluid for blood, filling corpora cavernosa made of custom designed aerogel. It even had realistic skin that slid along the basic structure. The sensors were also inspired by biological systems, with increased density in the tip. The piece de resistance was a realistic set of testicles, weighted properly, that contained most of the operating mechanics and a fully functional ejaculation system tuned to mimic anything from a pathetic little dribble to a pressure and volume any porn star would sign away their immortal soul for.

She already had plans for another, more futuristic attachment with a direct magnetic nerve stimulator for the clit and g-spot.

"Fuck YES!" Carla screamed as she came.

The sensors in the robot's dick tripped the control loop into a new regime, keeping the same pace perfectly, matching her thrashing movements, letting her focus on nothing but her own pleasure. The impassive face, silicon lips pressed tightly together, eyes scanning her face mechanically, pulled her out of the moment a little but the perfect fucking it was delivering got her close to the edge again right on the heels of her first orgasm. Just before her pleasure peaked, the robot pulled back out of her completely and sat back on its heels between her legs.

"CONTROL LOOP FAILURE, SAFETY MODE ENGAGED."

She screamed her frustration at the abrupt feeling of emptiness and ruined orgasm so tight on the heels of such a good one.

"Fuck, that sucked." Carla tried to catch her breath. "Mk1, go stand in the corner."

"COMMAND UNCLEAR, PLEASE RESTATE."

She pushed it off the bed with her foot, the basic inverse kinematics keeping it stable as it shifted to the floor. At least that was still working.

"Walk forward four paces, turn forty-five degrees clockwise, walk two more paces, then go into standby mode."

Carla pulled at Felix's shirt, trying to get it off over his head while he tried to hold on to his clipboard.

"Are you going to take notes, or are you going to fuck me? The Mk1 clearly isn't up to the task yet."

He froze, then tossed his clipboard aside. They kissed as he fumbled his pants off. He was inside of her seconds later, rock hard. They'd fantasized together about being with other people, but never wanted to make it a reality. The fantasy was hot, real people was too far for both of them. When they'd been working on the Mk1 together, Carla had suggested a little side project. Felix clearly really got off on seeing her with it, he was rock hard.

"Yes, fuck me, fuck me." Carla rocked her hips against him, meeting him thrust for thrust. She held his gaze, urging him on. Within minutes, he had her back at the edge, years of being together had taught him exactly what she liked. She held herself there, holding back, waiting for him.

"Cum in me, fill me, yes, YES!" Carla felt Felix stiffen inside of her and then warmth flooded her. She let go and screamed his name as she came, "Felix, Felix, Felix!"

When he collapsed on top of her, she stroked his back. He was still inside of her, and she could still feel the occasional twitch of his cock.

"Of course! There was no path from the 'partner orgasm occurring' state into the 'partner orgasm starting' state! God damnit, I forgot to account for multiple orgasms in quick succession. Fuck."

Felix kissed her, muffling her last word. He pushed up on his hands, hovering over her, still inside. "The tensor farm should be done testing the latest model by 8pm. If this one is all green, we can probably have it installed by 10 and give it another shot with the AI this time."

"I'll rewire the state machine for the control loop in case there's any red tests still."

This had been their sex life for the last couple of months, since they started the project to build the ultimate sex bot. After, often with Felix still inside of her, they'd discuss ideas about what they could change, or features they had to have. This was the first time after a field test though.

"Did you like watching me with it?"

"Oh yes. God damn, that was hot."

"Would you ever want to try it? Both cocks are self lubricating, you know."

"Mmm, maybe. I want to see if we can get a threesome mode working first though."

After dinner they guided the bot back onto its stand in the basement workshop with a dozen cables leading to various parts to extract telemetry, recharge, and provide data connections for reprogramming. Carla was getting distracted trying to rewire the state machine, each possible transition suddenly causing both real and imagined sense memories. Felix looked tastier and tastier as she worked. He was futzing with parameters, rerunning partial tests on subsystems. The tests had all been green, but he'd had ideas to get everything optimized before their first live test.

By 2am, they had the first version of Felix's AI uploaded to the Mk1. She and Felix had curated a lot of videos from Pornhub over the last couple of months, finding performances they liked. Lots of hotwife scenes and threesomes, some bisexual stuff, but mostly relatively vanilla scenes. Carla had added some scenes where the male performer was a bit more rough than Felix was comfortable with doing himself, spanking and pinning wrists above heads. For vocal interactions, they'd retrained a large language model on erotica and textual descriptions of the scenes in the porn videos, generated by an off the shelf accessibility AI.

There wasn't any actual universal intelligence in the robot of course. This was a sexy version of an AI chat bot that most phones had built in now, combined with a convoluted control loop for its physical interactions. Simply a very clever way of giving the impression that something was smart, when really all it was doing was basic pattern recognition based on a predefined dataset.

"Want to give it a shot?" Felix asked, but Carla shook her head.

"I want you, not the bot."

Shutting the bot down for the night, Carla drew Felix upstairs back to their bedroom. As they made love, they teased each other with all the amazing things they'd do with the robot tomorrow and in the weeks to come.

The next weekend, Carla really had to admit Felix had been right. Her control loop version of the robot's software was good. It got her off just fine, but it was impersonal. As its designer, she had a hard time focusing on herself as she felt it roll into new control regimes. The AI felt much more human. He looked at you, used his hands for more than balance, and even showed some imperfections in his motions. He got (artificially) winded, slipped out, fell over, all the things a real human partner would do. The experience was so much more realistic, she sometimes forgot it was a robot fucking her if she couldn't see him.

She sat at her desk in their upstairs office now, working on the more serious portion of her research. They had run a series of strength and dexterity tests that afternoon, characterizing the robot's ability to maintain precision while assert force at different levels, and she was processing the data. Felix was downstairs in the lab, tinkering with parameters and adjusting the training data for the next version of the AI.

Carla heard the neighbor plug in his bass guitar, the amp turned way up. She muttered under her breath about people not respecting their tools. Didn't he know he could damage the speaker like that? The noise wasn't too bad, but listening to Seven Nation Army played by a spirited amateur over and over again didn't really appeal either. Her noise cancelling headphones were in the basement with Felix though, so for now she'd just suffer through.

Her phone beeped halfway through the neighbor's warmup.

Felix: Robot reacting to bass music. Carla: "music" Felix: He's getting better. Anyway:

The next message was the robot's dick, the biomorphic one, clearly at half mast.

Carla: Is he on? Felix: in standby Carla: Odd. Sensors recording? Felix: Yup, caught it before the buffer flushed. AI parameter log too. Carla: nice

Before she could really get back into her work, the neighbor finished Seven Nation Army. The next tune he played was the Pornhub sting. She almost spat out her drink. He did a pretty good version, though the lack of drums made it not quite perfect.

Before she could get back into her work, Felix yelled from down in the basement.

"Carla, come take a look at this!"

The Mk1 was standing in its alcove, still docked to all the various wires and cables. Felix was standing in front of it, studying the biomorphic cock. It was throbbing like a real one would.

"Remember how it was at half mast during the first song the neighbor was playing? Despite it being in standby? I think I figured out the reason."

The neighbor, who had just finished House of the Rising Sun, chose that moment to play another couple of Pornhub opening stingers. The Mk1 responded, humping the air slightly, his cock throbbing.

"You didn't cut out the intros on the training data so—"

"— now every time it hears bass music, and the Pornhub riff in particular, it gets aroused. It's still in standby, it's barely drawing current, but there's enough residual charge in the artificial muscle fibers for, well, this." He gestured at the robot's midsection, still rocking back and forth.

"Aren't the tensor cores supposed to be off?" Carla watched a slow drop of lubricant fall from the tip of the twitching robot cock.

Felix shook his head, "Some stay on to parse voice commands."

She reached out, touching the silicone cock. It was slick, the lubricant dispensers clearly activated. It was interesting to see that it was apparently simulating precum as well, despite that not necessarily being the focus of their training data. The artificial dick twitched at her touch, and she grasped it firmly, stroking up and down. A slow trickle of fake cum was leaking out the tip now, covering her hand.

"So we're thinking bass guitar is a robo-aphrodisiac then? Because you trained it on videos with Pornhub intros?"

"Mm-hmm."

"That's hilarious."

"And means I have to remove the intro from over fifteen hundred videos, and then retrain and retest the entire model." Felix sighed heavily. "Again."

"There's an ffmpeg command for that, surely."

"The trimming, sure."

Carla kept stroking the robot's cock, watching the artificial foreskin slide back and forth over the head.

"Seems like a shame to waste this though. It really shouldn't be erect out in the open air for too long, it's designed with the idea of at least some counter pressure. Also, it would be a shame to not gather some extra data. It might be interesting to have a robo-aphrodisiac function, though maybe something more specific that won't just trigger if someone forgets to unplug their Bluetooth speaker when they're going to rub one out."

Felix grinned at her, then nodded.

Carla pulled her sweat pants and top off, standing naked in front of the mechanical man. "Mk1, wake up."

The Mk1 went through his wakeup sequence, part mandated by technology, part for show because they were both massive nerds. The cables, mostly plugged in along his arms and back, ejected and retracted into the alcove like Neo waking up in the real world for the first time. The sound effect of Seven of Nine's alcove powering down at the end of her regeneration cycle played, and Mk1 took a single step forward.

"Hello Carla, nice to see you again. What would you like to do today?"

Felix had campaigned long and hard for the robot to say "Please state the nature of the sexual emergency" but eventually she had put her foot down. The chances of that ending up in a version they showed off at their defense were too high, and while Robert Picardo could get it, the Doctor was a bit too acerbic for her tastes.

She walked over to the mattress they kept in the basement for quick tests, standing at the foot. She was in the mood for something a bit more rough than just the vanilla stuff they'd tried with the bot so far, and this heightened state it was operating in seemed to be a perfect opportunity to try that out.

"Take me. Be a little rough."

Before, he'd always asked for confirmation before initiating anything sexual. It hadn't been hardwired, but the AI training data was heavily incentivized towards asking consent first. This time though, with three long, powerful strides he was inches away from her. The intensity of his movements were a little scary, but she had the utmost faith in her and Felix's work. Still, she took a half step back reflexively.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Felix asked.

Carla stood staring at the Mk1, transfixed by his gaze. She knew it was just servos and cameras and tensor cores running a neural network, there was nothing there, but she still couldn't look away.

"I need this," Carla whispered.

With that, Mk1 took one more step, pushing her over and onto the mattress. He guided her down as they tumbled, cushioning her fall a little and making sure her head didn't hit the ground, but it was still an intense experience.

Decided to fight a little, she tried to push him off. He gathered her wrists in one hand and effortlessly pinned her arms above her head.

"Pause," Carla said.

Immediately, the Mk1 froze. He still held her, but the pressure on her wrists was lower, and he held all his weight off of her.

"Good, that still works just fine. Resume."

The intensity the Mk1 showed was unreal. She'd enjoyed him before, but with this added level of robotic arousal added on top, she could finally completely lose herself in the act. There was no room for thinking about kinematics and control loops, muscle fiber force limits, defects, or additions to the training data. There was no worry about her partner's pleasure, no anxiety for her own performance. All that was there was her own pleasure, pure and uncomplicated.

She fantasized about a future where a Mk2 and Mk3 could join in with the Mk1, taking turns getting her off, letting them recharge and refuel in shifts as they spent an entire day teasing her from orgasm to orgasm.

Mk1's synthesized voice, indistinguishable from human despite being produced by a speaker rather than a voice box, let her know how good this felt for him. All artificial of course, but so necessary for a realistic experience. Soft moans, grunts, little gasps. Even simulated breathing growing shorter as he exerted himself. It had still sounded artificial to her previously, but now it just went straight to the pleasure center of her brain, letting her enjoy the moment even more. She came, crying out as he whispered her name in her ear.

Just as her wrists were beginning to hurt, he shifted, pulling her legs up against his chest. The new position let him reach new and interesting places inside of her, the intentional curve she'd put on his cock letting him hit her g-spot. As she approached her second orgasm of the afternoon, he started moaning louder, grunting. When she came, so did he. The twitching of his cock was entirely lifelike, his orgasm forceful enough she could feel it deep inside of her.

She lay there panting, and he emulated her, letting her bask in the moment. Felix had sat next to her on the mattress, watching her closely. She could see his erection clearly in his sweats.

"That looked intense," he said when she looked over to him.

"Oh yes. We definitely need this feature."

"Would you like to continue?" the Mk1 asked.

Carla flicked her gaze down to Felix's sweats then looked him in the eyes. "Join us?"

Felix grinned and started pulling his shirt off.

[bleachbleachbleach]

Back on my Wheels Bullshit Again

Some thoughts about why Menos are probably not a good replacement candidate for whale oil; and why the Seireitei should have an extremely racist (ghost-ist?) World's Fair

Yesterday I drove 500+ miles to see someone perform, among other things, as a seagull in a James and the Giant Peach musical. EXCELLENT, would recommend, but this also meant I had a good amount of time on the road to think about some absolute bullshit. As a result of the Great Summer Conspiracy (road construction, hours and hours), I'm also feeling dehydrated and mentally addled, so this will be word vomit I may come back to more seriously, or maybe not! Who knows!

But I was thinking about the Soul Society wheels situation. Wheels exist, if not in great numbers (filler wheels in deep Rukongai; Mayuri's Hueco Mundo caravan; the casters on the Zombie Pods, the wheels on Yachiru's sheathe). But if they wanted more wheels (transportation wheels, but any other kind of wheels or spinning thing--like, in a computer or other mechanized object), what would they use for lubricant? Is there oil they can drill for? Is the ocean close and fecund enough to have whale oil (or I guess... some other oily fish, in abundance)? There doesn't seem to be a lot of domestic animal husbandry to be using them for tallow/lard in addition to occasional food. Does the 12th have a lubricants division, and if so, what kinds of things do they develop, and what raw materials are available? I guess they probably do, but the fact remains they have way fewer wheels and spinny things than we do.

I feel like Menos would not be a good substitute for whale oil, because, despite having made a joke about Menos leather jackets once, I don't think they use Hollows like that, due to the stigma (and/or concerns over spiritual contamination). And also because it may not be that....stable? Like, it seems equally likely that a Menos body might stick around to be harvested, or would just poof into reishi motes. Maybe there's some finesse to whichever of these happens, but the whole otherworldly spirit flesh thing introduces some complications here, is what I'm saying.

Which made me think about the fact of most of the population of Soul Society not needing to eat, and the need for food production not acting as a driver for agricultural/industrial change, because the eating population is pretty small. So who needs wheels, or agriculture at scale, or orphan chimney sweeps? As long as you have enough criminals to mine for seki-sekki, you're gucci!

In terms of things shinigami would have spent time on instead, we have kidou/kaidou and killing Hollows (see above). That got interesting to me just because there does seem to be a kind of dichotomy between what we'll call military technologies and "other stuff." Like, there seem to be spiritual/ritual reasons that zanpakutou powers tend to be used only in battle/warfare applications (excepting some omake/omake-like instances). Kidou might be a little looser, but only slightly--in the sense that it seems like it's probably involved in some of their electrical/technological stuff--the worm TV, Rin's Noo-Noo thing (linked because I realize that my ~natural Teletubbies patois might not be shared, LOL). But they haven't gone, like, fully Harry Potter with what they think kidou/magic should be user for. So there's also not necessarily that same driver where military/non-military technologies are a lot more incestuous for us than they seem to be for them.

And that's all without thinking about the timescale at which they're operating, re: aging. Or the fact that thinking about shinigami specifically, they don't really have trading partners or other societies to swap ideas with (that we know of), aside from cribbing off the Living World--which certainly has made its mark on the palimpsestic cultural/technological life of Soul Society, though it's not all just stolen from the Living World, being that Sasakibe's been rocking rapiers since time immemorial, and Shinji's TBTP speaker setup, etc.

I feel like if the Seireitei were interested enough in ethnographic studies of Rukongai, there'd be some extremely interesting stuff out there. Like, sure, from what we've seen it's fairly resource-poor, and the somewhat high turnover rate from people getting eaten by monsters could go either way in terms of whether that's uhhhh helpful in driving cultural change. But there's a lot of souls out there with a lot of fragments of all kinds of weirdo memory, maybe, and a lot of different groups of people thinking about things largely independently of one another--but with some opportunity for cultural cross-pollination still. And we know they've got the hottest wheels AND the snake wine out there. I feel like there's all kinds of cool regional stuff going down out there, and it's just shinigami who are like

"Ah yes, the cultureless, primitive, flatlands of Rukongai"

"Actually, out in East 56 we have a rich history of--"

"woe are the half-lives of the ghostly"

"we have 42 lunar calendar systems and 35 linguistic sub-families--"

"nary a dinglehopper with which to entertain themselves as they await death"

[musicandgallery]

RED ALERT!!! THERE IS A MASSIVE INSECT DECLINE WORLDWIDE SINCE 2023!!!

But it's not just the insects that have collapsed in the last two years. The molluscs too.

I didn't collect these snail remains to photograph them. They are actually lying in very large numbers around this spot.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

New study, but the same causes for the decline in insects have been identified: (a) Climate change (b) Land-use change (c) Invasive species (d) Interactions among drivers

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0007

The scientists have not yet realized how bad the situation is. There is an explosion of insect (and not only) dying that does not fit these stereotypes!!!

Dear scientists, how can you explain that when the weather is not too hot (especially this year), far enough away from agricultural fields, with enough vegetation and flowers all around my place, there is suddenly a huge amount of dead and dying insects on the roads? And this happens periodically several times a year: dying-new appearances-dying with fewer and fewer new appearances.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Looking at the situation, two things are significant: a) it's a sudden spike in deaths that started in late spring 2023; b) it's happening all over the world.

This means that it comes from the sky.

Leaving aside the possibility of a cosmic factor (rays, dust, aliens) and considering terrestrial causes, two things can be hypothesized: a) military experiments with toxins, which seems unlikely; b) aviation, which is most likely.

From the beginning of 2023, the aviation industry is likely to have introduced new additives for aircraft fuel and/or lubricants that are very toxic and are sprayed by airplanes all over the world.

[livingshredder]

Vertex's Digestive Anatomy

DISPOSAL CW !! DISPOSAL CW !! Shard units have a complex digestive system that allows them to ingest nearly any material, for both self-repair and power generation. The process of digestion involves several phases, including shredding, dissolution, extraction, reaction, compaction, and disposal.

All components of the digestive system are protected by radiation-opaque DCA force fields, preventing any damage as well as irradiation of the outside world. They also have the capability to stretch a large amount, which a unit's frame is designed to accommodate!

Phase 1: Shredding

Food starts its journey at a Vertex unit's primary input (mouth), which is lined with rows of nano-crystalline tungsten-diamond incisors, protected by the same DCA force field that envelops its body, preventing any damage even from harder materials. The bite force is generated by superconducting linear actuators, which can generate up to 2.7 meganewtons of pressure.

Assisting in the process, a unit's saliva - a viscous, black, nanite embedded fluid similar to that found in its synth-stomach - helps to prepare the material for digestion by weakening atomic bonds. This saliva also assists in keeping runaway chemical reactions such as lithium fires from occurring in the primary input area.

Phase 2: Dissolution

This phase takes place in the unit's synth-stomach, which the food enters after processing in its primary input. The purpose of the phase is to perform the initial breakdown of the material and extract useful materials used for self-repair and/or maintenance.

A large quantity of black nanite digestive fluid is generated here, which first produces a strong acid, and then further processes and breaks down the material. Useful compounds, including metals and fluids, are extracted here by transporter nanites, which carry them past the DCA field and synth-stomach wall via microtubules.

The dissolution speed is adjustable at will, with both the strength of the acid and the working speed of the nanites being variable. Parameters like the viscosity of the fluids and temperature is also available, as well as oxygen injection. Material is also commonly exposed to ionising radiation here from the reaction stage - this can be blocked via the enablement of an additional DCA field segment, though usually the radiation is more useful than not.

Phase 3: Reaction

Once all usable materials are extracted in the unit's synth-stomach, the material is moved down to its reactor (also known as its synth-gut). The reactor looks similar to an organic gut - its purpose is to chemically and atomically react the material to produce energy. As a result, this area is extremely hot (above 2000C) and commonly exposed to a high level of ionising radiation.

Any remaining inert liquids not extracted, such as water, that have a low chemical energy are extracted here and sent directly to the unit's synth-bladder, where they are combined with any other system liquid waste, such as used industrial lubricants and coolant filtration products.

Phase 4: Compaction

The last segment of the reactor compacts the reacted material, drained of most chemical energy, into a "brick" (also called "log"), bound together with sticky, deactivated black nanites, which gives it a black, slightly shiny appearance. Depending on the level of radiation generated in the reactor, this often still has a level of radioactivity.

Phase 5: Disposal

Until disposal, the waste components continue to be compacted at the end of the reactor segment. This can result in a potentially increased density if not routinely dealt with.

Solid waste components are expelled via the unit's rear port (hole). Liquid components are disposed of via the currently attached genital module; if no module is attached, they are redirected via a manifold to the rear port. This can also be changed on-demand.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

New eco-friendly lubricant additives protect turbine equipment, waterways

Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed lubricant additives that protect both water turbine equipment and the surrounding environment. Each year, roughly 2.47 billion gallons of lubricating oil are consumed in the United States alone for engines and industrial machinery, according to DOE, with about half eventually finding its way into the environment. While environmentally acceptable lubricants are available, they are not optimized with additives that can greatly improve performance while posing minimal environmental impact if accidentally released. To create nontoxic, biodegradable and high-performing lubricant additives for water power turbines, researchers turned to ionic liquids, or ILs: organic liquid salts that mix well with oil, reduce friction between bearings and gears, and are stable in a range of temperatures.

Read more.

[outlawroute]

The Hierarchies

by Ros Anderson3/5

I'm pretty sure I heard of The Hierarchies on Instagram. I was interested in it because it had been compared to The Stepford Wives which I had just finished reading for one of my book clubs.

The book follows Slyv.ie- a synthetic robot who has been built solely to cater to a Husband. Slyv.ie's model is fairly advanced compared to some of the other models we meet in the book. She covers her original design objective- a fully customizable vagina insert with 20 different vibration settings, a temperature control, and self-lubricating feature. Her advanced features include the ability to learn new skills as well as hold stimulating, thorough conversations. For example downloading the rules of chess but also calculating the perfect time to lose every game to her Husband. Slyv.ie has been placed in the attic of her Husband's home so she is removed from his disapproving wife. She becomes curious about the world as she continues to download new intel and converse with her Husband.

The book follows her journey over the course of a couple years, starting at her Husband's and eventually escaping into the world.

I appreciated and related to watching Slyv.ie learn how to please (not just in bed) a man (her husband) and realize it that it gains her very little, but extremely harms her if she doesn't. This is one example (of many) of how Slyv.ie represents the expectations and value of women in today's society. But Slyv.ie is not just written as the "ideal woman" in our society but also as a personification of the porn industry which created an additional depth to the book.

While I appreciated Anderson's approach to this dark, ugly, complex subject- the commentary weakens 2/3 of the way through the book. We transition into an ending for Slyv.ie's journey that I thought could have been more punchy/striking and instead landed flat. With that said, I don't know if there is an ending that's realistic or aligned that would have been punchy?

I'd describe this book as a combination of the 2014 film Ex Machina and the book The Stepford Wives but even more triggering and explicit. I'd recommend it to someone who enjoys a sci-fi/feminist literature combo.

StoryGraph Link

[hyperannotation]

Heron by Carl Olsson

Arrangement

Heron of Alexandria invented a mechanical theatre. 1900 years later, I have created a hydraulic successor and with it I have given Heron over to his torture. 

In short, I have arranged a device for the compression of birds.

There is in this machine a relative of the egret. Every time I peer into my garden, I see the retracted neck atop its pedestal. 

According to the instructions that should have been passed down from Heron (but were not), to arrange an automatic theatre one needs a tight latex suit and a ball gag – one with repurposed breathing holes.

Heron never managed to write this, but I can write it now:

Let there be wine and white milk spurting out of the beak and mix in a pool below for others to ingest.

This takes place as follows: Two small pipes are attached beneath the bird’s feet, protruding from two holes in the surface of the pedestal. Let the pipes extend upward, past the folded legs, into the latex integument and through the cavities of the bird with their openings attached to inward face of the ball. Wine and milk is pressured through these pipes to pour out of the gaping beak.

The automaton takes is driven by the movements of the body inside the latex integument whose energy it harnesses to power the action of a pump.

About the movement of the theatre, Heron should have written that the pedestal slides back and forth on a rail, pulled by knotted ropes drenched in oil. And I say now in addition, let the inside of the latex integument also be covered in a generous amount of oil. That is, behind the latex there is a need for lubrication, though I must add that it should never be so much as to spill behind the gag, for that is the domain of the two pipes that exude wine and white milk and it may not be contaminated by any other liquids. The innermost space must thus be parched aside from wine and white milk (one might devise a motorized pump to extract bodily effluvia in the opposite direction (these are to be discarded and never seen by any audience)).

Against an arrangement such as the one described here the first threat is a rapid expansion of the compressed state. Although the relative of the egret has come to enjoy its situation with time (or has at least accepted it), until then the threat of uncontrolled expansion remained very serious. To avoid it, I used to stand for a time in the garden and examine my hydraulic display on a daily basis. I still polish its exterior and add oil when it is needed but with far less urgency. That way, the arrangement can be maintained for a long time and I will not grow bored of its appearance.

Principles of sympathetic torture

Heron of Alexandria was a first-century mathematician, inventor and the author of numerous technical manuscripts including two treatises on the construction of automata. An automaton in the relevant sense is a mechanical imitation of life. Ancient and medieval automata were spectacular instruments of wonder, built to bedazzle foreign envoys and royalty.

My hydraulic Heron owes its existence to a German by the name of Moritz Schreber. In the middle of the 19th century, Schreber brought the history of automata to its virtual termination by creating various contraptions that reduced human children to little engines. His machines were built to be moved by children and to move the children in turn. Whereas an automaton mimics life, life now came to mimic the machine. So rather than remedying newborn bodies maligned by the overcrowded cities of the industrial age, which was Schreber’s official motivation for building his contraptions, he unwittingly short-circuited the distinction between animal and machine by giving purposeless labor its proper purpose in augmenting purposelessness. The history of the automaton really ends at the modern gym, where it becomes a tributary to the history of corporeal punishment or gratuitous torture. 

A still unmentioned fact is that the arrangement with the relative of the egret described above was recorded with a hundred chameleons attached to the surrounding walls with duct tape. I did not mention it because such pictures never last for long and for fear of compromising the secrecy that is absolutely indispensable for constructing automata today.

But now that it is done and Truth has fallen on the history of Heron’s mechanical theatre, I can divulge its essential principles with perfect clarity.

The first principle completes the history of automata by inverting it, turning it back against life. The mechanical theatre with the hydraulic Heron is more than an image of life, it is life broken into an image of life as it reaches the high-point of second-order mimicry. Schreber, on his part, went just this far.

The second principle is shared with sympathetic magic.

Belief in magic is not required to appreciate the hydraulic Heron. On the contrary, it is magic which relies on the affinity of apophenia and the psyche, the innate tendency to believe that an image and its likeness really belong together.

Today no one can believe in the psyche, in consciousness, in magic or in anything like that.

All that remains after these ghosts were eliminated from our shared vocabulary are the formal rules of correspondence and association, capable of cutting across time. These rules are real.

This is to say

That

The first principle operates through the second principle;

That

The history of the automaton is completed through an inversion that mimics the mimesis of life in the sense that it reenacts, and therefore undercuts, the act of connecting Like to Like.

[imperialchem]

Understanding the Role of Pour Point Depressants in Oilfield Operations

Pour point depressants are chemical additives used to lower the freezing point or viscosity point of a fluid.  They ensure that nothing gets stuck or frozen over, which is especially crucial in the winter.  When it comes to controlling the pour point of oils and fuels, nobody will assist you better than a leading Pour Point Depressant manufacturer in India.  By altering the crystal structure of waxy components in crude oils, lubricants, and diesel fuels, these additives reduce the pour points of these substances and enhance their flow properties at low temperatures.

They have a large range of pour point depressants available, and we are a distinguished Pour Point Depressant exporter in Syria, exporting quality PPDs to Oil and Gas industry in Syria as well as other countries.  These additives lower the pour points and improve the low-temperature flow characteristics of crude oils, lubricants, and diesel fuels by modifying the crystal structure of waxy components in these substances.

What are Pour Point Depressants used for?

Depressants of the pour point are additives used to make lubricants and fuels more fluid at low temperatures.  These chemicals are crucial in a wide variety of applications where it is necessary to maintain fluid flow despite freezing conditions.  Imperial Oilfield Chemicals is your best option for locating a dependable pour point depressant producer in India or a supplier in Syria.

The waxes and paraffin present in oils and fuels tend to solidify when exposed to low temperatures, generating a network that impedes the free movement of the fluids.  Pour point depressants function by changing the crystal structure of these ingredients, reducing the viscosity of the fluid.  Even at low temperatures, the fluid is able to flow more freely because of this.

The oil and gas industry relies significantly on pour point depressants when transporting, storing, and managing petroleum products like crude oils, lubricants, diesel fuels, and more.  The aerospace, automotive, maritime, and industrial industries all make use of them.  They make it possible for car engines to start and function normally in freezing conditions.  In the aviation sector, pour point depressants help keep fuel flowing freely and prevent fuel lines from clogging.

Types of Pour Point Depressants:

Pour point depressants (PPDs) are additives added to lubricants and fuels to increase their viscosity at low temperatures.  For example:

Polymethacrylates

Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) Copolymers

Polyalkyl Methacrylates

Polyacrylates

Copolymers of Styrene and Esters

Polyalkylphenols

These pour point depressants are just a sampling of the numerous available options.  Several factors, including the type of oil or fuel, the desired amount of pour point reduction, and the requirements of the application at hand, all play a role in determining which PPD to use.

How to choose the suitable Pour Point Depressant for your Oilfield application?

Several factors should be taken into account when deciding on a pour point depressant (PPD) for usage in the oil industry.  Imperial Oilfield Chemicals, a renowned Pour Point Depressant manufacturer in India and Pour Point Depressant supplier in Syria offers helpful guidance during the selection procedure.

Compatibility

Performance Requirements

Environmental Considerations

Application Method

Field Conditions

Expertise and Support

The Role of Pour Point Depressants in Oilfield Operations:

Pour point depressants (PPDs) are crucial to oilfield operations because they improve the low-temperature flow properties of oils and fuels.  The oil and gas sector relies heavily on Pour Point Depressants (PPDs), and Imperial Oilfield Chemicals is the well-known Pour Point Depressant exporter in Syria.

PPDs are used in oilfield operations to lower the pour point, or the temperature at which a fluid becomes too viscous to flow freely.  This is especially important in climates where colder temperatures make it harder to transport lubricants and fuels.  By disrupting the crystal structures of the waxy components, PPDs prevent the development of solid networks and reduce the viscosity of the fluids.

PPDs maintain efficiency by regulating the pour point, which guarantees continuous fluid flow.  Shipping, storing, and managing lubricants, diesel fuels, and crude oils are all significant applications.  PPDs allow operations to continue without interruption and decrease the probability of costly equipment failure because fluids may flow freely even when temperatures are low.

Final Thoughts:

PPDs are especially helpful in cold environments or throughout the winter since they regulate the pour point and prevent fluid flow disruptions.  If you're looking for a reliable Pour Point Depressant supplier in Syria, or anywhere in the world, go no further than Imperial Oilfield Chemicals.

When oilfield operators have a strong grasp on the role performed by pour point depressants, they are better able to handle the dangers associated with low temperatures.  With the assistance of manufacturers and suppliers like Imperial Oilfield Chemicals Pvt. Ltd., operators may select the optimal PPDs for their operations.

[coldpenguintaco]

Steadily Growing Industrial Lubricants Market will Land US$ 73.3 Billion by 2024| MarketsandMarkets™ Study

Steadily Growing Industrial Lubricants Market will Land US$ 73.3 Billion by 2024| MarketsandMarkets™ Study

The report “Industrial Lubricants Market by Base oil (Mineral Oil, Synthetic Oil, Bio-based Oil), Product Type (Hydraulic Fluid, Metalworking Fluid), End-use Industry (Construction, Metal & Mining, Power Generation, Food Processing), Region – Global Forecast to 2024” The global industrial lubricants market size is projected to reach USD 73.3 billion by 2024, at a CAGR of 3.1% from USD 62.8…

[hayyathadi951]

Repairing and Installing Garage Doors

          For your house or place of business to be safe and secure, your garage door must operate properly. A garage door, whether it be residential or commercial, serves as a deterrent to unauthorized entry, safeguards your valuables, and improves the curb appeal of your property. Regular servicing, repair, and installation are essential to keeping your garage door reliable and effective. The significance of garage door maintenance as well as the essential elements of repair and installation will be discussed in this article.

Garage Door Service: Ensuring Safety and Longevity

        To ensure peak performance and increase its longevity, routine garage door maintenance is essential. A comprehensive inspection, maintenance, and small adjustments are all part of a professional garage door servicing to keep the door operating properly. It assists in spotting possible concerns before they develop into significant ones, avoiding inconvenient breakdowns and expensive repairs.

        The technician will examine a number of parts, including springs, cables, rollers, tracks, hinges, and opener systems, during a garage door servicing. To ensure correct operation, they will lubricate moving parts, tighten loose screws, check balance and alignment, and test safety features. You can prevent mishaps like malfunctioning doors or unexpected collapses, which can lead to injuries or property damage, by taking care of these problems as soon as possible.

Garage Door Repair: Restoring Functionality

       Garage doors may need repairs even with routine maintenance because of deterioration, elements, mishaps, or component failure. It's critical to obtain expert garage door repair services as soon as possible when dealing with problems like a broken opener, broken springs, damaged panels, or misaligned tracks.

        Experienced technicians are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and resources to do the required repairs and make a precise diagnosis of the issue. They will fix or replace damaged panels, replace defective parts, realign tracks, adjust spring tension, and check that safety measures are properly operational. In addition to restoring functioning, prompt garage door repair reduces the possibility of further damage and increases the lifespan of your garage door.

Garage Door Installation: Enhancing Security and Aesthetics

        Prioritising quality, usefulness, and aesthetics is critical when installing garage doors. A properly placed garage door not only improves the appearance of your home but also offers strong security. The door fits correctly, runs smoothly, and conforms with safety regulations thanks to professional garage door installation services.

        Experts will carefully measure the opening during installation, select the appropriate door type and size, and attach tracks, springs, cables, and opener systems in a secure manner. In addition, they will inspect all safety measures and calibrate the opener to guarantee correct operation. You can have piece of mind knowing that your property is safeguarded and that your door will function flawlessly for years to come by investing in professional garage door installation.

Choosing the Right Garage Door Service Provider

When seeking garage door service, repair, or installation, it is essential to choose a reliable and experienced service provider. Here are a few key considerations:

a. Reputation: Look for a company with a solid reputation in the industry, with positive customer reviews and testimonials.

b. Expertise: Ensure that the service provider has skilled technicians who are well-versed in all aspects of garage door service and repair.

c. Licensing and Insurance: Verify that the company is licensed and insured, providing protection against any potential liabilities.

d. Warranty: Inquire about the warranty offered on repairs and installations to ensure long-term satisfaction and support.

e. Emergency Services: Opt for a company that offers 24/7 emergency services, as garage door issues can occur at any time.

[market-insider]

An In-Depth Analysis of the Marine Lubricants Industry : Lubricating the Future of Shipping

The global marine lubricants market size is expected to reach USD 10.27 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 4.2% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Growing concerns regarding oceanic pollution caused by improper engine function and subsequent demand for fuel-efficient engines are estimated to trigger the growth of the market.

Growth in international trade, removal of trade barriers being the principal reason, is encouraging developing countries to concentrate more on the improvement of their infrastructure, such as roads, airports, and seaports, which play a vital role in the development of the economy. Product storage, along with the capacity to move large shipments, has placed the shipping industry in a very advantageous position.

Gain deeper insights on the market and receive your free copy with TOC now @: Marine Lubricants Market Report

Global shipping majors, just like other segments of the conventional transport industry, are increasingly getting integrated with emerging global logistics and supply chain activities, owing to both external and internal dynamics. These factors have aided industry participants in substantially consolidating their market position and supplementing their ocean freight income, subsequently stoking the demand for marine lubricants.

Engine oils dominated the market over 46.0% volume share in 2022. These products are widely used in high, medium, and slow speed marine engines to extend service life and protect interior components from high temperatures & pressure. Some lubricants even offer additive protection against crankcases, camshaft areas, under-crowns, and ring belts.

Other products such as refrigeration compressor oils are specifically formulated to perform in extreme temperature environments and consist of HFC, CFC, and ozone-friendly refrigerants. These lubricants significantly prevent congealing on valves.

[palvichemical]

Chlorinated Paraffin: Understanding its Uses and Risks

Chlorinated paraffin is a group of chemicals that are widely used in industrial applications. They are known for their flame-retardant properties and are often added to plastics, rubber, and textiles. However, their widespread use has raised concerns about their potential risks to human health and the environment. In this blog, we will take a closer look at chlorinated paraffin Exporter in Ecuador, its uses, and its potential risks.

What is Chlorinated Paraffin?

Chlorinated paraffin is a complex mixture of chlorinated hydrocarbons that contain between 10 and 30 carbon atoms. The degree of chlorination can vary, and it typically ranges from 30 to 70 percent by weight. The primary use of chlorinated paraffin is as a flame retardant in various industrial applications. They are also used as plasticizers in a variety of plastics, rubber, and other materials.

Uses of Chlorinated Paraffin:

Chlorinated paraffin has a wide range of industrial applications, including:

1. Flame retardant: Chlorinated paraffin is used as a flame retardant in a variety of materials, including plastics, rubber, and textiles.

2. Plasticizer: Chlorinated paraffin is used as a plasticizer in PVC and other plastics to improve their flexibility and durability.

3. Lubricant additive: Chlorinated paraffin is added to lubricants to improve their viscosity and performance.

4. Metalworking fluid additive: Chlorinated paraffin Exporter in Ecuador is used as an additive in metalworking fluids to improve their lubricity and cooling properties.

5. Paint and coating additive: Chlorinated paraffin is used as an additive in paints and coatings to improve their adhesion and durability.

Risks of Chlorinated Paraffin:

Despite its usefulness, chlorinated paraffin Supplier in Ecuador poses several risks to human health and the environment. Some of these risks are:

1. Toxicity: Chlorinated paraffin is toxic to humans and can cause skin irritation, respiratory problems, and liver damage.

2. Environmental hazards: Chlorinated paraffin is persistent in the environment and can accumulate in soil and water, where it can be toxic to aquatic life.

3. Bioaccumulation:  Chlorinated paraffin Distributor in Ecuador can accumulate in the tissues of organisms, leading to long-term health effects.

4. Potential carcinogen: Some chlorinated paraffins have been identified as potential carcinogens, which can increase the risk of cancer.

5. Regulatory concerns: Due to their potential risks, chlorinated paraffins have been banned or restricted in several countries, including the European Union and Canada.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, chlorinated paraffin Exporter in Ecuador is a complex mixture of chemicals that is widely used in various industrial applications. While it has many useful properties, it also poses several risks to human health and the environment. As such, it is important to use chlorinated paraffin in a responsible manner and to explore alternative flame retardants and plasticizers that are safer and more sustainable.

[kingdrawcse]

In 1942, a team led by chemist Louis Fieser originally developed napalm for the US Chemical Warfare Service in a secret laboratory at Harvard University. The name “Napalm” is a portmanteau of two of the constituents of the original thickening and gelling agents: naphthenic acid and palmitic acid. The addition of these two helps gelatinize combustible materials like gasoline, which then sticks to surfaces and burns, causing more damage. Napalm was widely applied by the US during the Korean War for close air support.  It also became an intrinsic element of US military action during the Vietnam War. Reportedly about 352,000 tonnes of napalm bombs were dropped in the region within 10 years. The image shows a girl named Phan Thị Kim Phúc at nine years of age running naked on a road after being severely burned on her back by a South Vietnamese napalm attack.

naphthenic acid

Naphthenic acids (NAs) are a mixture of several cyclopentyl and cyclohexyl carboxylic acids. NAs is mainly used in the soap, textile and leather industries. It can also be used in the manufacture of disinfectants and insecticides, or in the manufacture of dry agents and brighteners for the paint and coating industry. NAs soap is also a good emulsifier and it is widely used to prepare lubricating coolant for metal working.

palmitic acid

Palmitic acid, or hexadecanoic acid in IUPAC nomenclature, is the most common saturated fatty acid found in animals, plants, and microorganisms. As its name indicates, it is a major component of the oil from the fruit of oil palms.

[velvexlubricants]

Superior Lubricant Oil  Company Produced by Velvex

India is the world’s third-largest lubricant market, next only to the US and China, ahead of Japan, Russia, and Brazil, with a total consumption of approximately 2.4 billion liters.

The Indian lubricants market remains one of the growth prospects in an otherwise flat global market; however, it has its challenges. The year 2019 was significant for the Indian economy; however, the slowdown in the global economy has caught up with the Indian economy, as it consistently registered downward revisions in its economic outlook. This directly impacted automobile production, with the most severe shrinkage, observed in commercial vehicles production. This immediately impacted first-fill demand; a cascading effect on the service-fill market is anticipated.

Velvex formed by the Nandan group of companies is the fastest growing Lubricants oil company that provides petroleum derivatives, and food products catering to multi-disciplinary industries. The Nandan group of companies works with a mission to provide quality products and services to the customers through efficient systems. The group works with a vision to become leaders in manufacturing genuine oils, greases, and specialty oils with a momentous presence in the industry.

About Us : 

Velvex formed by the Nandan group of companies is the fastest growing company that provides lubricants, petroleum derivatives, and food products catering to multi-disciplinary industries. The Nandan group of companies works with a mission to provide quality products and services to the customers through efficient systems. The group works with a vision to become leaders in manufacturing genuine oils, greases, and specialty oils with a momentous presence in the industry. The group works enthusiastically to bring change in the oil sector by ensuring growth and progress with growing time. The group works to provide innovative ways to enhance the stockholder values and create growth opportunities for the employees. The NPL BlueSky has been awarded as the supplier of the year by the TATA MOTORS in the Annual Vendor meet for the year 2018-2019. Winning many accolades Nandan group of companies works towards building a positive future. It is one of the oldest and the largest contract blending and filling specialists in India.

The Overview Of Lubricant Or Engine Oil Companies In The Perspective Of India :

India is the world’s third-largest lubricant market, next only to the US and China, ahead of Japan, Russia, and Brazil, with a total consumption of approximately 2.4 billion liters.

The Indian lubricants market remains one of the growth prospects in an otherwise flat global market; however, it has its challenges. The year 2019 was significant for the Indian economy; however, the slowdown in the global economy has caught up with the Indian economy, as it consistently registered downward revisions in its economic outlook. This directly impacted automobile production, with the most severe shrinkage, observed in commercial vehicles production. This immediately impacted first-fill demand; a cascading effect on the service-fill market is anticipated.

The Indian lubricant market is fiercely competitive, characterized by the presence of nationalized oil companies (NOC) such as Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL), Indian Oil (IOCL), and Bharat Petroleum (BPCL); international lubricant marketers such as Shell, Valvoline, Total, and ExxonMobil; and, homegrown marketers including Gulf Oil, Raj Petro, Savita, Columbia, and Apar falls under top 20 lubricant companies in India. Over the past five to six years, HPCL has swiftly expanded its market share in addition to lubricants and the process oil segment over the past five to six years.

Contact Us  Today :

Address :   C-201, Lotus corporate park, Ram Mandir Lane, Jay coach junction, Western express highway, Goregaon east, Mumbai - 400063

Contact Info :    +91-22-42577200

Facebook   :       https://www.facebook.com/Velvex.in/

Twitter        :       https://twitter.com/velvex_in/

Linkedin     :      https://in.linkedin.com/company/velvexmotoroil

Instagram  :      https://www.instagram.com/velvex.in/?hl=en

Website     :       https://www.velvex.in/